Snowfall
by Trevor X
Summary: Falling snow makes the perfect setting for a walk in the woods. Or making snowmen. And the baby looks cute in her tiny snowsuit. AU, Seth/Eirika.


_**Snowfall**_

_Disclaimer: If I owned Fire Emblem, I'd be filthy rich. Sadly, I'm not._

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Seth is standing by the window, watching the snowfall. He's waiting for Eirika, of course. He can hear her in the other room, fussing over their daughter. He smiles at the noise, remembering how she'd done the exact same thing earlier in the year before they'd first taken Ester outside to enjoy the flowers. He'd held his daughter while Eirika busied herself tying on the bonnet that would protect the baby's ears. In fact, he'd held her most of that day, if he recalled correctly.

Now however, Eirika was ensuring that their child wasn't going to freeze to death in the first snowfall of the year. There was the pink knit bonnet tied firmly beneath the chubby chin, the pink mittens on tiny fists, and the pink booties on tiny feet. Once finished, she tucks the tiny arms and legs into the baby-sized snowsuit, and ever so carefully zips up the zipper. Ester is ready to go now.

Seth turns away from the window when Eirika enters the room. She hands him the baby (and he takes his daughter _oh-so-carefully_), and proceeds to bundle herself up against the cold. In her white coat and knitted cap, with the white scarf carefully wrapped around her throat, she looks like a winter angel. She bends down to put on her boots and then they are ready for the out of doors.

Seth opens the door, and lets Eirika proceed outside before him. She stops on the front porch and gazes out at the world before her, oblivious to mundane matters, such as her husband closing the door behind him. The snowflakes are fluffy and wet, and without the wind to whip them around, are falling straight down to coat the ground and the trees with a layer of white.

When she turns back to look at him, Seth finds himself smiling against the cold. His coat and gloves are the only concessions that he's made to the weather today, because he finds that having Eirika near him keeps him warm. She takes his arm as they walk down off the porch and into their own private wonderland.

They walk past the house with its empty flowerbeds, and toward the small stand of timber that Seth calls 'The Forest'. It's quiet out, only the sound of their footsteps in the frozen undergrowth breaking the silence. There's a certain peace to the wood, and neither Seth nor Eirika seem inclined to speak.

Ester doesn't seem to have any qualms about sneezing, however. The tiny face wrinkles up and the tiny body stiffens just before releasing the tiny explosion of air. Both parents suddenly shift their full attention to their child, who blinks back at them sagely. She isn't talking quite yet, but they expect that first word any day now. Eirika pulls off her glove and gently touches Ester's face, trying to see if her baby is getting cold. She isn't, but her parents both seem to decide that this first foray out into the winter world is done for the day.

Together they turn back toward the house, with its lights and warm hearth.

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When they're back inside again, ensconced on the couch with hot chocolate to sip on and Ester tucked safely into her crib, Eirika looks up at him expectantly. "Do you think it will snow enough tonight?"

Seth knows she want to build snowmen. It's something of a winter tradition for her family, and with her brother coming over tomorrow, its clear she wants to get a head start on things. He hasn't heard the weather report yet, but with the way the snow is falling now... He nods at his wife, watching her face light up with innocent glee.

"You'll have to go shopping for carrots tonight then."

Seth blinks, caught off guard at the statement. He knows that he should understand the implications, but for whatever reason, his mind can't fathom why the vegetable is suddenly important. His question must be clear on his face, because Eirika is laughing at him now.

"We need them for the snowman's nose."

"We do?" He'd built his fair share of snowmen, but never bothered to use anything other than stones and branches to decorate them. His snowmen had eyes and smiles and arms.

"Didn't you ever build snowmen when you were little?" He can't tell if she's teasing, because he can't remember if this subject ever came up in conversation before. But seeing her eyes still twinkling with good humor, he decides it's probably safe to say that she already knows the answer.

"Yes, but I never had any carrots to make noses with." His answer is straight and to the point. He hesitates and finally adds quietly, "I thought they looked fine without noses."

"Maybe you like your snowman without a nose, but we must have carrots for mine, and Ephraim's and Tana's." Eirika is quite adamant about the subject, going so far as to wrinkle her own very cute, non-carrot nose at him. Seth kisses her there gently and murmurs quiet words of capitulation. "I'll find some carrots for you. Do we need any for Tana's brother? I know Ephraim said he was coming along this time."

Eirika shakes her head and hides a smile behind a sip of chocolate. "Innes _never_ makes a snowman. He feels that we insult him every time that we ask. It's almost as much of a tradition as making the snowmen are."

She looks up at him again, and Seth can see her eyes are gleaming. "Tana says that it doesn't matter; her brother is as stiff and cold as a snowman anyway."

For just a moment, Seth feels a stirring of pity for the man._ With a sister like Tana... _He lets the half formed thought go. From what he's seen of Innes, the man deserves it. Maybe he'll loosen up eventually and join in the family tradition. Absently he sips his chocolate and finds that his cup is almost empty. He sets the almost empty mug on the coffee table in front of him and turns back to his wife.

Her own mug is empty, and she sets it down beside his. And since his arms are now conveniently open, Eirika scoots over and sits on his lap, sighing contentedly as his arms wrap around her.

Across the room, the fireplace sparks and pops, the flames continuing on their merry dance heedless of the lovers.

Seth relaxes as Eirika burrows into his arms. Things are quiet again, save the fire, and it seems that there isn't anything else to discuss. The murmur from his arms surprises him slightly, and he tilts his head to better catch the words.

"We'll make cookies tomorrow, and we'll have to take family pictures too. I think we should let Ephraim take them, so both of us can be in the picture with Ester." Eirika shifts slightly to glance at his face, only to find him smiling down at her.

"I think that is a wonderful idea."

The conversation ceases at this point, everything that needed to be articulated with words finally put to rest. So entwined on the couch, the two ignore the world around them, content in their nearness to each other.

And outside the window, the snow keeps falling.

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**AN: **_After my last disaster where I wrote terrible, terrible things for Seth/Eirika, I thought they deserved a little happiness from my pen. So without further ado, I set out to make fire emblem fluff, as it were. This is the result._

_I'd greatly appreciate any reviews that you choose to leave for this piece._

_And to all of you out there in the world of fanfiction writing/reading - "Merry Christmas!"_

_Trev X_


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